The present invention relates to a wet mateable connector (a so-called underwater or sub-sea connector) for use in, for example, interfacing with sub-sea systems used in the exploration for and extraction of oil and gas from sub-sea deposits. The invention is particularly useful for interfacing Ethernet cabling and enabling Ethernet data communication with sub-sea systems.
Much electrical hardware used in the development, drilling and extraction of offshore and sub-sea oil and gas deposits is arranged submerged in the ocean, often on the sea bed in control systems or ‘Christmas trees’ at individual well heads, at depths of up to 4000 m, a harsh environment with pressures of up to 6000 psi. Many of the sub-sea systems monitor and control variables such as pressures, flow rates, etc at the well heads and reporting and control of these systems is achieved by wired telemetry, communicating electrical signals between sub-sea systems and to surface locations.
Interfacing and interconnecting these sub-sea systems to provide power distribution and signal communication is achieved with the use of, amongst other components, underwater mateable electrical connectors. Such connectors are known from, for example, United Kingdom patent application publication number GB-A-2192316, by which an electrical connection is made between two connector parts in an oil-filled chamber of one of the connector parts, sealed water-tight.
Currently, signal communications with sub-sea systems are typically in the form of single channel analogue or digital voltage signals. However, as the number and complexity of deployed sub-sea systems is increasing, the volume of data that needs to be communicated is also increasing, which is putting greater demands on the network of cabling and connectors that interfaces and interconnects the sub-sea systems and surface systems.
There is therefore a need to provide hardware to enable a higher data throughput to be achieved in sub-sea communication lines.
The present inventors have recognised that the use of wired Ethernet technology for providing data communication with and between sub-sea systems is one way in which data throughput could be boosted significantly. Ethernet communication can be provided by optical fibre connections. For this, sub-sea hardware for providing a fibre optic communication infrastructure is already available that could be used for Ethernet communication. However, such hardware is expensive and may make deployment of Ethernet communication over short distances sub-sea impractical.
The present inventors have recognised that, while Ethernet communications links over relatively large distances could be provided by fibre optic connection, Ethernet communications over short distances sub-sea could be provided instead by a connection using twisted pair Ethernet cabling. To achieve this, twisted pair Ethernet cabling, according to the Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6 or Cat 7 standard, could be incorporated in sub-sea cabling to provide connections between systems generally not more than about 100m apart, due to this being a limiting distance on operability.
The structuring of the Ethernet cabling in twisted pairs of separate conductors acts to isolate the signals carried in each pair from each other, from respective pairs, and from interference externally from the cabling. Such twisted pair cabling is normally terminated at an 8P8C modular connector plug to interface the cable with a corresponding 8P8C connector jack in a communication system. However, such modular connectors are not suitable for use sub-sea.